The PS3 'Launches' in Australia

Share.

Were you there? We kind of doubt it. This is Living?

By Patrick Kolan

It was a night of big grins, loud music, street performances and free popcorn - the PlayStation 3 launched in Australia, and with it came the circus. But where were the fans? Where were the throngs of people, ATM cards at the ready? What the heck happened? Sure, the Wii didn't even have an official Sydney launch - but the numbers at their Melbourne bash vastly overshadowed the PS3's birth. It was an interesting evening for Sony, to be sure. And we can't help be feel a little bad - like the school kid who invites everyone in his grade to a party at his place, only to get a handful of moochers, junkies and hobos.

The Sydney PS3 launch was a colourful affa-- wait. Sorry. That was Mardi Gras.

Can we call this evening a disaster? Not yet - not until the sales figures come rolling in. But there is no way that the Australian events could be played out as anything but a lukewarm response from a public that has been sprayed down and saturated with 'This is Living!' slogans plastered on every available surface.

We attended two launch events - neither were organised by Sony itself, but rather by the retailers in each respective shopping centre. Sony recently announced there would be 500 retailers around the nation holding midnight launches; if these were the biggest, then we have to wonder what the hell happened to the groundswell Sony was eagerly trying to build.

...This was the Myer PS3 launch.

Myer, Pitt Street Launch

The big one - we had visions of hundreds of dedicated Sony loyalists crammed together in a mesh of body odour and printed tee-shirts. We got there at 8 and the place was practically empty, save for some workers hurriedly assembling rigging and lights. We grabbed dinner, had some drinks and passed the time as we waited for the crowds to shuffle in. And waited. And waited.

The console launch was unravelling before our eyes.

Bennett and I did our journalistic duties and conducted some impromptu interviews with people standing around, who we presumed would be forking out for an PS3. Most weren't. Really, by our reckoning, there were easily as many journalists, Myer staff and Sony representatives at the event as there were legitimate buyers. Maybe more. It was kind of spooky.

Andrew - Sony loyalist. But where's his PS3? Still on the shelf for the time being, it would seem.

One man we spoke with, Andrew, looked like the perfect candidate for picking up a PS3. We were wrong - even as a confessed Sony loyalist, he was tellingly cautious.

"Have you pre-ordered?" We enquired.

"Um, no, not yet."

"What would it take for you to commit a thousand dollars to the PS3?"

"Well, all Sony have right now are MotorStorm and Resistance. Hopefully in the future there will be more Sony-exclusive games. If you look at what they've done - over the last 15 years, that's been their thing."

"Do you own a PS2?"

"Oh yeah; PS2, PSone, PSP. I'm a Sony boy, through and through."

And yet, he wasn't convinced or compelled to buy a PS3. Sony should be seriously examining responses like this - this guy is their poster-child for their brand, but he isn't sold on the PS3. Puzzling.

"Have you seen it running?"

"Uh, no actually. I was hoping to see it running, but&#Array; well&#Array;" Andrew drifted off, half-bemused and half hopeful.

People eventually began to turn up as the night progressed.

A local radio station had an irritating, albeit rather cute, host blurting out inaccuracies about the system, while handfuls of early adopters slotted themselves into position, behind a winding blue barricade that was all but empty, save for the first three rows. Clearly, a larger number was expected. It was obvious that Myer and Sony had vastly overestimated the appeal of the midnight launch.

To be fair, Myer went down the standard console-launch-checklist, ticking all the key boxes - music, free food (provided you enjoy popcorn), Pepsi, radio station support, a massive screen running Blu-ray movies, tents and lights. But the problem wasn't the entertainment - it was another instance of Sony missing the mark. They'd alienated gamers who were there to play. There were no consoles on display, and as we spoke with the gathered, one recurring point surfaced - they were interested in the PS3, intrigued even - but they'd never sampled it, never held the controller and never played a game. Were it not for the underwhelming Formula 1 Championship Edition tournament being held at the front of the line, there would've been little to indicate this was a console launch at all.

The view from the back betrays exactly how many people are waiting. The TV media are down the front, bolstering numbers further, but we doubt they were buying.

Camera crews and security guards tittered around the edges of the launch area as the radio host tried to drum up some enthusiasm from an unresponsive crowd. As we departed, we took one last look at the surrounds, shook our collective heads and hoped that Moore Park would tell a different tale.